Sakharov Prize 2022: discover the finalists | News | European Parliament

At a joint meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Development Committees held on October 13, this year’s finalists for the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought were chosen:

• Julian Assange, co-founder of Wikileaks

• The brave people of Ukraine, represented by its president, elected leaders and civil society

• Colombia’s Truth Commission

The finalists were selected by MEPs from a list of nominations made by political groups or groups of at least 40 MEPs. To learn more about the 2022 Sakharov Prize nominees, click here

Julian Assange

As one of the co-founders of the WikiLeaks association, Assange provided the world’s major media with documents relating to war crimes, arbitrary detentions, human rights violations and torture.

He is imprisoned in the UK and is currently at risk of being extradited to the US to stand trial for espionage and hacking.

The courageous people of Ukraine, represented by their President, their elected leaders and civil society

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, launched in February 2022, is inflicting colossal costs on the Ukrainian people in terms of lives lost and towns and villages shattered. According to the nomination, the Ukrainian people are fighting to protect their homes, their sovereignty, their independence and their territorial integrity. But every day he also fights for freedom, democracy, the rule of law and European values ​​on the battlefields.

The nomination recognizes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for his bravery, endurance and devotion to his people.

She also mentions the role of individuals, representatives of civil society initiatives and state and public institutions such as, among others, the Ukrainian State Emergency Services, Yulia Pajevska (founder of the medical evacuation “Angels of Taira”), Oleksandra Matviychuk (human rights lawyer and activist), The Yellow Ribbon Civil Resistance Movement, and Ivan Fedorov (mayor of the Ukrainian city of Melitopol, currently occupied by Russian forces ).

Colombia’s Truth Commission

Colombia’s Truth Commission is an institution created under a peace agreement to end the Colombian civil war in 2016. It aims to establish the facts about human rights violations during the conflict and to defend the rights of millions of its victims.

The nomination – which mentions the names of Francisco de Roux, Alejandro Valencia Villa, Marta Ruiz Naranjo, Alfredo Molano Bravo (posthumously), Alejandro Castillejo, Saúl Alonso Franco, Lucía Victoria González, Patricia Tobón Yagarí, Alejandra Miller, Leyner Palacios, Ángela Salazar Murillo (posthumously) and Carlos Martin Beristain – pays tribute to the victims of the civil war and is described as an opportunity to support the peace process.

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the The annual Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought has been awarded since 1988 to individuals and organizations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms. It owes its name to the scientist and Soviet political dissident Andrei Sakharov. The winner will receive a prize of 50,000 euros.